89163 The World Bank’s GEF Program in the Middle East and North Africa Region: Global Environmental Benefits Contributing to National Development Goals The World Bank’s GEF Program in the Middle East and North Africa Region: Global Environmental Benefits Contributing to National Development Goals Cover Photo: Andrew Losos Foreword Sustainable development is at the core of the World Bank Group’s overarching mission to reduce poverty. Conservation and sustainable management of natural resources are critical pillars of this mission, which the World Bank Group has been supporting in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region for over two decades. In teaming up with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) we have established a synergy that has allowed us to make even more progress in MENA. Through our policy framework, analytical work, and various investment instruments, the World Bank Group brings leverage and impact to GEF resources. The global perspective of the GEF, and the innovation and sustainability it supports, has in turn contributed to our goal of becoming the ‘solutions Bank.’ The region continues to face a number of significant challenges despite its many accomplishments. These include climate change, rapid urbanization, industrial pollution, water resources scarcity, food insecurity, fragile ecosystems, and a lack of energy diversification. MENA countries are also facing the demand for more social inclusion, jobs, and better service delivery. The need for the resources and vision of the GEF is now stronger than ever as the region continues the current period of transition. This brochure focuses on the two decades of the World Bank-GEF partnership with MENA countries. This partnership has had a global environmental impact by working both at the local and national level and engaging all relevant partners and stakeholders. In addition, many GEF financed operations stand as examples of what a more holistic approach can achieve in terms of innovation and catalyzing greater investment. These operations have also delivered important social benefits such as job creation, enhanced economic and social inclusion, and strengthened governance capabilities. Going forward, we will continue to focus on this partnership making it increasingly strategic, selective, and appropriate to the MENA context. We welcome the additional leverage it brings to Bank lending and associated donor finance. It strengthens our support for the region’s sustainable development objectives and encourages capacity building in government systems as well as provides an opportunity for the crucial exchange of knowledge. In partnership with GEF, we are committed to helping MENA countries respond effectively to critical environmental issues at this historical moment in their development. Junaid Kamal Ahmad Director, Sustainable Development Department, Middle East and North Africa Region Introduction Environmental stress is a serious concern in the Mid- Distribution of Grant Funds dle East and North Africa by Focal Area, US$ Million (MENA) region, although 16.1 M (5%) it is not new. Stretching 27.9 M (8%) 48.5 M (15%) across the northern third of Africa and into the Biodiversity Climate Change Arabian Peninsula, the 90.8 M International Waters region is dominated by (28%) 141.9 M Multi-focal Area the Sahara and Arabian (44%) POPs (Persistent deserts, two of the world’s Organic Pollutants) driest zones. Over the cen- turies, the unique envi- ronmental constraints of water scarcity and severely harmful impact on the environment. Infrastructure limited arable land have is also stressed by the growing demand for new shaped the evolution of the investments and growing numbers of urban poor. region’s human societies. The current trends are declining water resources per Recent years have capita, shrinking arable land, deteriorating vulner- witnessed important able coastal zones and marine resources, rising changes that are push- energy use, and mounting pollution, particularly ing the boundaries of the in urban areas. region’s environmental If left unchecked, this environmental degradation legacy. Economic growth, would imply considerable costs and significant harm sustained by reliance on to livelihoods, public finances, and the economic rich deposits of oil, gas, competitiveness of the region. Recognizing this, and other natural resourc- over the past two decades important efforts have es, has spurred popula- been made, at both national and regional levels, to tion growth. That in turn enhance environmental management and protec- has fueled urbanization, tion. At the same time, in seeking to diversify their industrial development, growth sectors, countries in the MENA region have and increasingly unsus- embraced a longer-term development vision founded tainable agricultural prac- on uses of natural capital that are optimized and tices, which compound the sustainable. One of the ways forward has been 1 Global E nv i r o nm e n tal Be n e f it s C on t r ibu tin g to Nation a l D evelopmen t Goa ls Avenue Habib Bourguiba. Tunis, Tunisia. Photo: © Dana Smillie/World Bank (DS-TN018 World Bank) through the World Bank’s partnership with the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Percentage Distribution of World Bank-GEF Over the past 20 years, the World Bank has Grant Funds, by Country (1992-2012) channeled US$278.5 million in GEF grants to MENA Yemen (4%) Algeria (4%) countries to help them tackle complex global envi- Djibouti (2%) ronmental problems. The grants have supported Tunisia (18%) targeted local actions across a variety of economic Egypt (25%) sectors, including agriculture, water, and energy, as Syrian Arab Republic (2%) well as urban development, biodiversity conserva- Iran (0.3%) tion, poverty reduction, and social development. Regional/ Global (14%) Jordan (6%) These grants have leveraged $2 billion of World Lebanon (1%) Bank lending and other resources. Morocco (20%) The investment of these GEF grants has helped countries in the MENA region take decisions in favor of the global environment and sustainable develop- • optimize the productive and sustainable use of ment by supporting innovation and the adoption of desert ecosystems; new, diversified approaches. In some instances, this • adapt economic development strategies and has helped attract larger-scale program financing and practices to the impacts of climate change set the stage for next-generation projects. Important social benefits have also been gained through job • manage protected areas better and conserve the creation, greater economic and social inclusion, and biodiversity of fragile landscapes strengthened governance capabilities. • reduce the over-exploitation and resulting pol- Across the region, these supported actions have lution of trans-boundary waters, and served to help: • encourage more stringent pollution manage- • diversify energy sources and increase energy ment through cleaner and smarter urban and security industrial development. • encourage green job creation 2 In t r od u c tion At present, the region’s most pressing environ- population; giving voice to gender and women’s mental challenges stem from rapid urbanization issues; finding ways to spur job growth; and revers- and its resulting infrastructure needs, industrial ing the poor provision of basic services. pollution, overexploitation of scarce water resources, This publication highlights the value-added that the unsustainable management of fragile ecosystem two decades of World Bank GEF-funded work in resources and vulnerability to climate variability and support of the global environment has contributed climate change. Decision makers working to address to the MENA region’s environmental, health, and these problems also face many tightly linked and social and economic development, and points to urgent social issues. These issues include meeting opportunities for further cooperation in support of the aspirations of a quickly growing urban youth green growth. 3 Sustainably Managing Natural Resources Protecting provides the raw material that underlies the region’s Biological agriculture, forestry, and fisheries activities that underpin livelihoods, trade, and tourism. These Diversity and habitats and species also carry out ecosystem ser- Managing vices vital to human welfare such as soil conserva- Protected tion, nutrient and hydrological cycles, and carbon sequestration. Areas: The growing cost of biodiversity loss, increasing Situated at the crossroads habitat loss and fragmentation, over-exploitation, of three continents and ecosystem degradation, and climate change impacts encompassing a wide has led MENA countries to seek the assistance of range of elevations, from the World Bank. Drawing on countries’ strategic below sea level to moun- priorities for conservation, MENA’s GEF-funded tainous zones above 3,000 assistance program has focused on instituting sound meters, the MENA region biodiversity conservation practices to strengthen consists of a wide array national protected-area systems, conserve diversity of terrestrial, coastal, and across varied landscapes, and promote a participa- marine environments. Its tory approach. biological diversity is con- The World Bank has also long supported the centrated in a variety of establishment of protected areas to safeguard natural ecosystems, often small ecosystems and promote more sustainable resource in size: deserts, mountains management. Over time, the World Bank has sought and woodlands, freshwa- to link this support to sectoral development programs ter wetlands, coastal habi- in the wider production landscape, linking climate tats, mangroves, sea-grass change and biodiversity activities with investments beds, salt marshes, and in agriculture, forestry, watershed and land man- mudflats. These places are agement, coastal zone management, fisheries, and tremendously important tourism. A series of GEF-funded biodiversity projects to the region’s biological focused on protected areas have been implemented productivity and ecological with the support of the World Bank in Algeria, Jor- integrity. The rich variety dan, Morocco, and Tunisia. These projects, which of habitats and species illustrate the linkages among the sustainable use 5 Global E nv i r o nm e n tal Be n e f it s C on t r ibu tin g to Nation a l D evelopmen t Goa ls Farmer in Ait Baha, Morocco © Gabriella Izzi/World Bank of ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, and com- impact assessments at the provincial level, along munity involvement, are described in the following with a plan for natural resource management. The sections. plan also served as a model that the management of Algeria’s other national parks could use. Algeria: Sustainable Completed in 1999, the project succeeded in Protection of the El Kala improving the ecological status of many of the National Park and Wetlands area’s at-risk sites. Although it did not achieve all Complex (1994–1999) its goals, mainly due to external political circum- The El Kala National Park and Wetlands Complex stances, the project’s innovative nature helped raise project focused on the park’s sustainable protec- understanding of the importance of biodiversity loss. tion. Created in 1983, the park is a mosaic of forest, Environmental monitoring and research activities lake, dune, and marine ecosystems located in the adapted to the circumstances allowed academics and northeastern part of the country. It is rich in biologi- students to examine the complex interrelationships cal diversity and high in endemic species of great among species and establish biological conservation importance to the entire Mediterranean basin. Every plots as well. Targeted environmental education year, thousands of birds from Europe and Asia winter, made local communities and their authorities more reproduce, or simply pause and rest in the humid sensitive to environmental problems and also laid zones along the banks of the three major lakes that the groundwork for job creation in a region where encircle the park. In 1990, the park was nominated unemployment was widespread. The institutional as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. strengthening of central authorities reinforced the In the early 1990s, increasing urbanization, links between the decision-making processes and infrastructure development, agricultural activity, concerns about biodiversity and the environment, and water consumption, generated by the increasing and this helped secure a national commitment to population in the area, were putting pressures on the continue taking action for conservation and biodi- long-term sustainability of the wetlands. Concerned versity preservation. by the trend, the government worked together with the World Bank to develop a project designed to stop the loss of biodiversity within the park. The project set procedures for conducting environmental 6 S u s ta i n a bly M an agi n g Natu r a l Resou r c es Jordan: Integrating demonstrated the importance of economic instru- Conservation with ments in building local support and involvement. Development in the Dana The project also built vital capacity within RSCN, Wildlands (1994–1999) which resulted in the establishment of a competent The first World Bank GEF-funded project in Jordan, research and survey division. This new division then the Conservation of the Dana Wildlands and Insti- had the ability to conduct baseline and specialized tutional Strengthening of RSCN project, supported studies across a wide range of ecological and social improvements in the management of the Dana measures. Wildlands Reserve. These included activities to encourage local communities to reduce livestock Morocco: Supporting grazing pressure and adopt income-generating Conservation and Poverty activities linked to ecotourism. Prior to this project, Reduction with Small Grants conservation management planning in Jordan had (2000–2008) been based largely on incomplete species records. Like other countries in the region, Morocco is The project, managed by a local non-governmental endowed with a rich variety of habitats, ranging from organization (NGO), the Royal Society for Conserva- mountain and lowland forests, to grasslands and wet- tion of Nature (RSCN), supported full-scale ecologi- lands, to coastal lagoons and marine environments. cal baseline surveys as well as assessments of the socio-economics of surrounding local communities. The results of both analyses were used to shape the Dana Reserve management plan. The project pioneered the concept of community engagement in protected areas and demonstrated how valuable economic instruments can be in building local support and involvement in conservation and biodiversity preservation. At first, the establishment of a protected area was not warmly welcomed by the surrounding local communities, who viewed this as a threat to their livelihoods. The project therefore adopted an incentive-driven approach. Under this approach, income-generating activities that could be an alternative to people’s traditional livelihoods, such as goat grazing, were promoted. Among the alternatives developed were eco-tourism facilities and programs, along with a wide range of handicraft businesses. These were successful in generating employment and income, and they were welcomed. They now collectively support a significant sector of the target communities and generate revenue that is used to meet ongoing conservation costs. The Dana project set a new standard by providing a clear basis for linking management decisions in biodiversity protection to socio-economic develop- ment. Further, it pioneered the practice of engag- ing communities in managing protected areas and Farmer in Ait Baha, Morocco © Gabriella Izzi/World Bank 7 Global E nv i r o nm e n tal Be n e f it s C on t r ibu tin g to Nation a l D evelopmen t Goa ls Here too habitat had been degraded by agricultural parks. Through the voice of the influential Berber and industrial development and urban expansion. poets known as Inchaden, it has raised awareness In addition, the country’s mountainous areas, which about the destruction of the area’s natural heritage. are its richest in biodiversity, are home to the poorest By the end of the project communities were much members of its population. These people’s livelihood more knowledgeable about conservation issues.  traditions were also of growing concern. Moroccan authorities therefore faced a two-pronged dilemma: Tunisia: Contributing to a how best to draw upon the country’s natural resource Sustainable Mediterranean potential and promote improved sustainable man- (2005–2012) agement of natural resources and the environment In Tunisia, the government solicited GEF funding while involving the local populations in lowering with the support of the World Bank to develop and negative impacts and promoting positive alternative put into practice a system for mitigating the loss livelihood opportunities. of biodiversity in the Gulf of Gabes through inte- The Morocco Protected Areas Management grated monitoring and participatory management. Project sought to address these concerns by assist- The system addresses both site-specific threats and ing the government in establishing and managing regional threats. a network of national parks and reserves while In the area’s southern zone, along Tunisia’s coast, fostering a sustainable partnership between the lies the Gulf of Gabes. A large, shallow, relatively local populations and the Ministry of Water and warm bay populated by high marine diversity, until Forestry, the national entity responsible for their the late 1970s it harbored broad beds of unique management. It is considered to have been a suc- sea grass. In the decades since, destructive fishing cess on several levels. practices and over-fishing, combined with a growing The project helped shift the government’s culture volume of urban and industrial pollution, have caused toward strategic partnerships in managing protected the sea grass cover to shrink. The entire ecosystem areas and introduced protected areas into the main- has felt the loss, as sea grass beds provide habitat stream of national policy dialogue. It is credited as to important numbers of bottom-dwelling species being largely responsible for launching the develop- and help to keep sediment stable. ment of the strong network of protected areas that In response, the Government of Tunisia, with the exists in Morocco today. As the project reached its support of the World Bank, solicited GEF funding final stages, the Council of Ministers approved the to develop and institute an integrated system for Protected Areas Law, which was partly shaped by monitoring biodiversity degradation and managing the project’s results. The legislation requires that all biodiversity in the Gulf of Gabes, addressing both of Morocco’s parks and reserves be managed in a site-specific and regional threats to marine and participatory and sustainable manner and allocates coastal resources. The project proposed collabora- resources to do so. tion among four Tunisian institutions to encourage Using small grants, the project also succeeded intersectoral cooperation through shared training in showing how establishing protected areas can and field experiences, as well as through integrated reduce poverty, particularly with income-generating policy and strategic studies. To improve baseline activities that supported the sustainable growth of scientific knowledge at the regional level, the proj- eco-tourism businesses. The majority of small grants ect supported the collection of key data including were awarded to individual women or women’s an inventory of sea grass beds, an assessment of groups. The program also supported communications, the status of marine species that are nationally or awareness-raising, and environmental education, internationally significant, and an assessment of the working with local associations affiliated with the impacts of alien invasive species in the gulf. Al Hoceim, Toubkal, and Eastern High Atlas national 8 S u s ta i n a bly M an agi n g Natu r a l Resou r c es Port of Rades, Tunisia. Photo: Dana Smillie / World Bank The project was started in 2005 and since then International Waters: has made important progress. A functioning institu- Working Across Borders and tional foundation has been built for the integrated and participatory management of biodiversity in Boundaries to Revitalize the gulf, involving four national institutions and the Shared Seas establishment of five local development committees that operate in the project area. Scientific knowledge Scarcity of water has been a defining characteristic of the area’s terrestrial, marine, and coastal biodiver- of countries in the MENA region throughout their sity has improved significantly thanks to supported history. Given their environment and climate, efficient studies, and general awareness, capacity building, use of water has always been of great importance. and stakeholder training have been strengthened Over the years, these countries have developed valu- at all levels. able knowledge and strategies for water management. Four management plans covering four pilot The World Bank addresses water management sites have also been completed. To ensure that the and conservation issues in the MENA region through results can be sustained, intensive promotion and a broad portfolio of work. It covers all aspects of outreach is being done, focusing attention on the resource management, from integrated develop- intrinsic value of the sites. One of the sites, the ment of coastal zones, to targeted interventions that Gabes Oasis, has been listed with UNESCO’s World support community-managed fisheries and marine Heritage indicative sites since 2008 as a result of the protected areas, to international trans-boundary project’s intervention; an application to have the site cooperation. The projects contribute directly to the recognized as a World Heritage Site of universal value objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s has been deposited with UNESCO. Another project Jakarta Mandate, as well as its work programs on pilot site, northeast of the Kerkennah Islands, has marine ecosystems, protected areas, islands and been designated a marine protected area. invasive alien species. 9 Global E nv i r o nm e n tal Be n e f it s C on t r ibu tin g to Nation a l D evelopmen t Goa ls Regional Cooperation: Red Sea navigation risks and maritime pollution; the second and Gulf of Aden Large Marine to support the adoption of integrated coastal zone Ecosystem (1999–2005) management. The waters of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are At the project’s completion, evidence showed renowned for their natural beauty and the unique that a number of its results were contributing to quality of their aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity achieving broader goals of the Strategic Action Plan, and ecosystems. Their fisheries are of international reducing the risk of contamination in the Red Sea importance, their waterways supply major maritime and Gulf of Aden due to maritime shipping and routes, and their beauty attracts important levels of marine accidents and improving the environmental tourism. Just over a decade ago, 15 percent of GDP integrity of the coastal and marine ecosystems. The in Yemen was derived from fishing in the region, results included the following: the area’s maritime routes supported 7 percent of • Increase in awareness of the importance of global trade, and Egypt welcomed 2.1 million tour- cooperation through maritime conventions, indi- ists to its coastal areas. cated by a 34 percent increase in ratification of Over time, however, the human activities, as well International Maritime Organization Conventions as urbanization, coastal development, wastewater across the region; treatment, and industrial development, including refineries, desalination plants, and coastal mining, • Development of two additional protocols to the have begun to seriously threaten these ecosystems. Jeddah Convention relating to: Climate change and associated sea level rise have —— marine protected areas and biodiversity only compounded the problems. conservation in the Red Sea and Gulf of The Jeddah Convention of 1982, formally the Aden, and Regional Convention for the Conservation of the Red —— protection of the marine environment from Sea and Gulf of Aden Environment, was negotiated land-based sources of pollution; out of growing concern for the area’s environmental • Establishment of new Traffic Separation Schemes and human health. This convention is the basis for to reduce the risk of maritime accidents resulting the region’s marine environmental cooperation. In from vessel collisions, ‘near misses,’ or ground- 1999, countries in this maritime region, together ings, particularly in the restricted shipping lanes with the World Bank and several UN and regional north of the strait that separates the Yemen from conservation organizations, secured funding from Djibouti, a zone that sees transit of 85 million GEF to prepare a Strategic Action Program for the tons of oil per year; Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden under the Conven- tion’s framework. The countries in this partnership • Adoption of enhanced port and shipping safety are Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, through reinforcement of Port State Control Sudan, and Yemen. actions and development of risk assessment and The partnership developed an overarching decision-making tools to prevent and/or reduce regional framework for the protection and sustainable unnecessary harm from urban and industrial development of coastal and marine resources. The development; and framework identified measures, both curative and • Development of recommendations for the improved preventative, that would be required at the regional, use of coastal and marine resources in Djibouti, national, and local levels. Within the partnership, the Sudan, and Yemen based on application of an World Bank supported the implementation of two ICZM model, granting decision makers in those Strategic Action Plan components: one to improve countries new tools to prevent or reduce unnec- coastal and marine environments by reducing essary harm from development. 10 Coping with the Changing Climate The MENA region is high- adaptation through the use of agro-biodiversity ly vulnerable to climate resources. change. Water scarcity, temperature increases, and reduced precipitation are Building Resilience serious challenges. The region’s high dependency Yemen: Adapting to Climate on climate-sensitive agri- Change by Exploiting Agro- culture and the location biodiversity in the Rain-fed of important population Highlands (2010–2014) centers and economic In the highlands of Yemen, a GEF-funded agro-biodi- activity in flood-prone versity and climate adaptation project is enhancing coastal zones compound strategies for coping with climate change by pre- the seriousness of those serving and using agro-biodiversity and traditional challenges. These chal- agricultural practices. lenges call for innovative, Over 40 percent of Yemen’s population lives in focused action. poverty. Many of the country’s rural poor inhabit its A key response is to highlands, one of the driest and harshest terrains in build resilience, enabling the world. The centuries-old cultivation of rain-fed social and ecological sys- agriculture remains the primary means of livelihood. tems to rebound after Thankfully, the region’s agro-ecosystem offers rich experiencing shocks. The agro-biodiversity in the form of sorghum, barley, World Bank supports and chick peas, globally important crops that have countries in the region to a history of early domestication in this area. Several enhance their resilience by landraces (local varieties) of these crops are the result supporting their develop- of centuries-old selection, which means that farmers ment of localized climate adopted genetic varieties that proved to offer better scenarios and climate vul- resistance to diseases and pests and greater resil- nerability assessments, ience to drought, as well as the best fit for local soil impact evaluations, and quality and climatic conditions. Traditional methods integrated ecosystem man- of water harvesting and storage, as well as terrace agement, as well as their construction and maintenance, have been invaluable 13 Global E nv i r o nm e n tal Be n e f it s C on t r ibu tin g to Nation a l D evelopmen t Goa ls Oasis in the area of Taroudant, Morocco © Gabriella Izzi/World Bank in protecting the agro-ecosystems in the highlands groundwork for climate-resilient development in the against harmful climatic and environmental events by future. Specific objectives include: improving water-use efficiency and minimizing land • Capturing and assessing traditional agro-biodi- degradation. The agro-biodiversity of the highlands, versity knowledge. This includes developing an together with the traditional knowledge of farmers, inventory of farmers’ knowledge on the adaptive has been the cornerstone of communities’ ability to characteristics of local landraces and their wild adapt to changing climatic conditions in the past. relatives and identifying and testing selected Increasingly, however, information on these landraces for climate resilience to profile the methods and skills is becoming lost due to growing crops’ vulnerability. urban migration and the adoption of modern high- yielding varieties, which involve greater dependence • Raising awareness among highland residents on irrigation for farming. There is also a general and project partners regarding climatic changes consensus that the more variable precipitation caused and developing local farmers’ capacity to pre- by climate change poses increased risk of crop dict weather patterns, climatic changes, and failure and loss of livelihoods. Traditional varieties longer-term climate change scenarios for Yemen’s and farming practices are an important repository of rain-fed areas. genetic variability, one that can both protect small • Widening the range of coping methods available farmers by diversifying their production and provide to farmers so they can integrate climate resilience important genetic traits to improve ‘modern’ variet- into their rain-fed agriculture practices. These ies through purposive breeding. The conservation include in-situ conservation, improved terracing of agro-biodiversity is also believed to be critical with soil and water conservation practices, and to strengthening the climate resilience of rain-fed expanded crop choice and cropping patterns. agro-ecosystems and to enhancing national capacity • Improving the capacity of key agencies and in climate modeling and analysis. stakeholders to collect and analyze data for the Building on a long-standing partnership of purpose of improving climate predictions and development lending in the agriculture sector, managing information flow. the Government of Yemen and the World Bank are channeling GEF funds in support of the Agro- To help ensure that the above actions are sus- biodiversity and Climate Adaptation Project. The tainable, they are complemented by work under the project is developing national capacity in climate Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) of the modeling and analysis, including ‘climate proofing’ Climate Investment Funds in Yemen. rain-fed agriculture and, more broadly, laying the 14 S u s ta i n a bly M an agi n g Natu r a l Resou r c es Mitigating Climate which reflect and concentrate, or capture, the sun’s Change—Supporting energy onto receivers, typically piping that carries the energy in the form of heat. The thermal energy The Development Of this produces can then be converted to electricity Low-Carbon Pathways using either steam turbines or a heat engine driving a generator. CSP-generated energy is both accessible In addition to building resilience, the World Bank and dispatchable, meaning it can either be available has also channeled important amounts of financing immediately to meet customer demand or be stored to help develop the region’s significant potential in to be drawn upon at a future time. renewable energy resources and reduce its energy Reliable electricity supply is critical for economic sector’s carbon footprint. and social development. In Egypt, electrical con- The MENA region houses more than 52 percent nectivity is widespread as compared to many other of the world’s oil reserves and 42 percent of its gas countries, with more than 99 percent of households reserves. However, the region is also characterized by connected to the electricity grid. However, the reli- important solar resources, which provide an excellent ability of the electricity supply is poor, a problem basis on which to build a renewable energy market. made worse by the country’s growing population and Support for climate change mitigation extended by economy. In the comprehensive economic reform the World Bank in this region is helping countries that the Egyptian government recently embarked adopt a path to a lower carbon future by exploiting on, a central priority is given to diversifying energy their renewable energy resources, promoting energy production and improving and expanding Egypt’s conservation and increased efficiency, adopting new electricity infrastructure, including its transmission technologies, and leveraging financing for clean and distribution networks. energy investments. Nearly $50 million of GEF funding was put into Indeed, the World Bank’s efforts look beyond the Kureimat Solar Thermal Hybrid project, blended the energy sector alone, in recognition of the broad- with World Bank lending in the sector for Egypt of ranging impacts of climate change. For this reason, its $200 million. This allowed the Government of Egypt lending, technical assistance, and analytical work as to develop the country’s solar energy capacity and a whole are tailored to (i) reduce the burden of the increase the share of renewable energy in its energy energy sector on government finances, (ii) ensure generation by providing the incentive to induce that energy services delivery is aligned with finan- the technological change suitable for a low-carbon cially sustainable economic growth and increasing economy. Drawing on experiences gained from access to energy services, and (iii) safeguard the previous work in this sector, the Kureimat project natural environment by emphasizing the importance adopted an innovative integrated solar combined of efficient resource management. cycle (ISCC) design, which combines a parabolic- mirror-trough solar field (see illustrations) with a Egypt: Harnessing the Power of conventional combined-cycle power plant. the Sun (2007–2011) Completed in 2011, the Kureimat project is one In Egypt, the Kureimat Solar Thermal Hybrid project, of the first fully dispatchable hybrid CSP-combined which made use of GEF funding, allowed the govern- cycle power plant projects in the world to be oper- ment to increase its share of renewable energy by ated at a commercial scale. The plant has helped building one of the most innovative commercial-scale diversify Egypt’s electricity grid, generating enough solar energy-assisted power plants in the region. power to serve about half a million households, Concentrating solar power (CSP) does exactly thereby contributing to improved living standards as its name suggests: it allows for the power of the and sustainable economic growth. sun to be harnessed through the use of mirrors, 15 Global E nv i r o nm e n tal Be n e f it s C on t r ibu tin g to Nation a l D evelopmen t Goa ls DS-MA093 - Ain Beni Mathar Integrated Combined Cycle Thermo-Solar Power Plant. Photo: © Dana Smillie / World Bank The plant’s construction also supported local Morocco: Integrated Solar entrepreneurship, helping Egyptian companies move Combined Cycle Power into the field of innovative CSP technology and job (2007–2012) creation. During construction, nearly all engineer- Morocco’s consumption of electricity, fueled by its ing and construction work was undertaken using economic development, population growth, and local manpower. Sixty percent of the materials and policy of universal access to electricity, has been services used during construction of the solar plant rapidly increasing. Growth in demand, which rose were sourced from local or national firms. Now in on average 6 percent per year from the mid-1990s operation, the plant employs 220 local people full- until 2003, had accelerated to 8 percent per year by time, including both highly skilled engineers and 2006. The country relies heavily on the import of unskilled laborers. A host of Egyptian companies fossil fuels for electricity generation, since it lacks gained valuable experience, so that they are now fossil resources of its own, and this import need is able to submit bids to participate in disseminating only expected to become greater as time goes on. the technology in other countries in the region. Renewable resources such as solar energy, which is The project has demonstrated that solar thermal bountiful in Morocco, offer the country an opportu- technology can be economically competitive and that nity to decrease this dependency. the long-term costs associated with low-greenhouse- Under a global GEF-supported program designed gas-emitting energy technologies can be reduced. to accelerate cost reduction and the commercial It has also lowered the CO2 emissions associated adoption of large-scale low-greenhouse-gas (GHG) with energy generation. Overall, greater awareness emitting generation technologies (see Egypt above), of CSP technology has been created within Egypt, the Government of Morocco with the World Bank’s in the region, and beyond. This is evidenced by support secured GEF grant to finance an ISCC power the fact that a follow-on 100-megawatt CSP project plant. This plant would be one portion of the develop- in Egypt’s Aswan Governorate, supported by the ment at Ain Beni Mathar in the country’s northeast. Climate Investment Funds’ Clean Technology Fund, The significant additional financing necessary was is expected to begin operating in 2015. provided by the government and through lending from the African Development Bank. The project’s overall objectives were to reduce GHG emissions generated from energy production by increasing the 16 S u s ta i n a bly M an agi n g Natu r a l Resou r c es market share of low-GHG- emitting technologies and to test the viability of solar thermal technology. The latter objective was designed with a view toward encouraging ISCC power generation technology to be replicated in Morocco and elsewhere. The project selected an ISCC configuration based on analyses that found that this approach offered important cost reductions and operational advantages over the construction of an indepen- dent solar thermal plant. First, the use of a larger steam turbine in the combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant can offset the costs associated with developing an independent power block for a solar field, reducing capital costs through economies of View of Parabolic trough solar field—Integrated Solar Combined scale. Second, an ISCC hybrid plant configuration Cycle Power Plant, Ain Beni Mathar, Morocco © Roger Coma-Cunill/World Bank also significantly reduces the daily losses of solar energy that occur in an independent solar plant due to start-up/shut-down. Third, it ensures reliability connectivity and access to electricity, particularly of electricity, given its ability to run continuously for the rural poor, is now possible. whether solar power is available or not. And fourth, the solar field balances the CCGT power generation Tunisia: Building a Sustainable by offering power boosts at times when CCGT output Energy Efficiency Market is reduced, for example when ambient temperatures (2004–2011) are high, which fortunately are times that usually As with the other countries in the North African coincide with periods of high solar radiation. region, Tunisia in the early 2000s had reached a The Ain Beni Mathar Integrated Solar Combined turning point with respect to energy demand. The Cycle power plant was commissioned in October country had depleted its oil reserves and become 2010. It integrates a solar trough collector field with a net importer of energy. Its domestic demand was a natural gas-fueled fossil-fired power generating fast growing, and its energy intensity consumed a element. The project is one of the first power plants much higher portion of its GDP than was the case in ever built in the world that integrates concentrated neighboring countries. By 2001, the government had solar power (CSP) and natural gas on a large scale. adopted an aggressive strategy aimed at enhancing Since November 2011, the plant has been operating energy efficiency. Within this framework, it seemed satisfactorily at expected capacity. appropriate to reinforce energy efficiency in Tunisia’s The project has generated many positive social industrial sector, since that sector used 36 percent impacts for both the local population and the local of the country’s energy. Significant economic and economy, both of which had relied on agriculture and environmental benefits were considered possible if livestock grazing. Both direct and indirect sources industrial energy use could be reduced: production of employment have been generated by the plant. costs would be reduced, making the sector more com- During its construction, 500 jobs were filled by local petitive, and GHG emissions would be reduced. The recruits, and since production began 50 local jobs government requested the World Bank’s assistance have been secured. Important improvements in local in securing GEF funding to help meet these goals. infrastructure, which benefit the local population as The Tunisian Energy Efficiency Project was well as the ICCS plant, have also been made, such as designed to overcome institutional and capacity the rehabilitation of local roads. Equally as important, barriers to a sustainable market for energy efficiency 17 Global E nv i r o nm e n tal B e n e f i t s C on t r i bu tin g to Nation a l Developmen t Goa ls by encouraging the adoption of an appropriate investment project put forward, these companies policy framework. Aimed at the industrial sector, would receive a 75 percent guarantee against the the project offered incentives by administering an loans required, up to a maximum of US$200,000. output-based subsidy, to be paid once demonstrable By project completion, more than 230 energy energy efficiency measures were in place. efficiency program contracts had been approved, To ensure that sustainable commercial energy which indicated a healthy, growing energy service efficiency investments penetrated Tunisia’s industrial industry. Investments in energy efficiency by that time sector, the project supported the establishment of had surpassed US$150 million, which far exceeded energy services companies as the principle vehicle. the project’s original target of US $25 million, and Incentives were provided in the form of access emissions had been reduced by approximately to guarantees, wherein for each energy efficient 130,000 tons of CO2 per year. 18 Persistent Organic Pollutants Persistent organic pollut- human and animal tissues, generally in fatty tissues, ants (POPs) are a group which causes them to move up the food chain at of chemicals that include compounded levels of concentration as higher ani- organic compounds that mals feed on lower animals. Addressing the POPs have been widely used problem requires a sound approach to chemical as pesticides or in indus- management that is integrated into broader national trial processes over the pollution and waste management strategies. years. Their release harms both the environment and Tunisia: Africa Stockpiles human health globally, Program (2005–2012) since they are often carried Over the past decades, poor pesticide management long distances over atmo- combined with bans on the use of certain chemicals spheric or ocean currents. led many African countries to accumulate significant These compounds quantities of pesticides. Over time, these stockpiles have three qualities that have degraded, losing their effectiveness for control- make them especially ling pests and becoming obsolete. The landscape destructive. First, they are of the continent has ended up being littered with toxic. Exposure to POPs often improperly stored stockpiles of still potent, can disrupt people’s and toxic pesticides, which pose risks to human and animals’ immune, endo- environmental health. Since abandoned pesticide crine, nervous and repro- stockpiles and dumps were frequently found in ductive systems, cause rural areas or poorer communities, a disproportion- developmental disorders ate impact was borne by the poor, many of whom and cancer, and even lead scavenge in these places for recyclables unaware of to death. Second, they are the dangers involved. persistent, resisting break- By the early 2000s, many African countries had down for years, sometimes ratified international agreements and developed even decades, while con- hazardous waste regulations. These included con- serving their toxicity. trols imposed on illegal dumping, tighter border When they do break down, controls, and adoption of integrated pest manage- they often break down into ment approaches to reduce reliance on pesticides. other toxic substances. Even with these initiatives, stockpiles of obsolete And third, POPs have a pesticides were understood to pose a continuing tendency to accumulate in serious environmental and social threat until safely 21 Global E nv i r o nm e n tal Be n e f it s C on t r ibu tin g to Nation a l D evelopmen t Goa ls removed and destroyed. A number of countries in Publicly held obsolete pesticide stocks and the region, Tunisia included, supported by the World associated waste were also inventoried thanks to the Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization project. This revealed more than 2,000 tons of waste, (FAO), therefore developed a regional GEF project including 1,280 tons of obsolete pesticide stocks and to prevent further accumulation, support clean-up, 756 tons of associated waste, at over 200 sites across and facilitate the destruction of these stockpiles. the country. By March 2012, more than 1,200 tons The project sought to build adequate technical, of the inventoried waste had been repackaged and institutional and financial capacity to manage the shipped to Europe, including Germany and Spain, for clean-up of contaminated waste sites and the safe disposal following environmentally and technically destruction of obsolete pesticide stocks, as well as sound methods. The availability of an inventory also the necessary regulatory capacity to manage pesti- allowed for a risk profiling of the stockpiles, which cides in the future to prevent the pesticide stockpiles aided in elaborating a comprehensive prevention problem from recurring. program that was captured in Tunisia’s Country Although the regional effort faced challenges Environmental and Social Assessment. during its implementation that, ultimately, could not Obsolete pesticides lie in a shallow bed, with be effectively managed or overcome, a number of only a thin layer of sand covering the waste. They are the participating countries, Tunisia included, called easily unearthed using a simple hand tool. for restructuring the effort from a regional model to a national model. Forging ahead with the important Tunisia: Promoting Best work, they centered their efforts on building capacity Practices for Managing through training and awareness-raising to prevent Healthcare Waste and future accumulation and on cleaning and disposing Polychlorinated Biphenyls of existing stockpiles. (PCBs) (2011–2017) The results in Tunisia have been positive. The With the assistance of the World Bank, the Govern- project there trained stakeholders across many sec- ment of Tunisia recently embarked on a new project tors and organized workshops on sound pesticide that will work to improve both the global environmen- management and environmental protection. The tal impact and the national public health in Tunisia workshops targeted different audiences, including related to PCBs and healthcare waste management. journalists, NGOs, and technical staff. More than It will do so by strengthening the institutional and 400 technical staff were trained under the auspices management capacity of all relevant agencies in these of a 2011 awareness campaign that reached out to waste management arenas. The government will 8,000 pesticide users across the country. In addi- dispose of 1,100 tons of PCBs through the elimina- tion, a forward-looking plan of action for pesticide tion of high-risk PCB-contaminated equipment and management, based on a diagnostic study of the wastes, which represent 65 percent of the total PCB country’s needs for sound chemicals management, inventory in Tunisia. In addition, an annual amount has been finalized and is being implemented by of 3,200 tons of healthcare waste will, in future, be the government. managed in an environmentally sustainable manner. A program was created in 2009 for the man- The project’s impact is expected to be noteworthy: agement of empty containers, which collected and through the sound management of healthcare waste treated (cleaned) pesticide containers at two sites. and PCBs at 83 hospitals and 55 PCB sites in 22 It was evaluated in 2010, judged to be successful, of Tunisia’s 24 governorates, two million people and has subsequently been extended to two other are expected to benefit from the POPs reductions governorates. targeted by this project.   22 The Way Forward Over the past 20 years, GEF project cycles, the World Bank is in a better World Bank implement- position to help mainstream global environmental ed GEF investments have considerations into MENA countries’ growth sectors, helped countries in the maximizing local and national benefits in innovative MENA region take deci- and sustainable ways through policy and analytical sions in favor of the work as well as various financial instruments. global environment and national and local sus- tainable development by A Multi-Focal Area supporting the adoption Approach—Addressing Land of innovative and diversi- fied approaches. In some Degradation instances, this has helped The MENA region is home to two of the world’s larg- attract larger-scale pro- est desert ecosystems, the Sahara and the Arabian gram financing and set desert. These ecosystems make possible a unique the stage for next-gener- set of conditions that are vital to the livelihoods of ation projects. Important their human communities. Yet many desert biomes social benefits have also are stressed by growing natural and man-made accrued through job cre- pressures. The recently developed MENA-Desert ation, broader economic Ecosystems and Livelihoods Program (MENA-DELP), and social inclusion, and a partnership between the World Bank, GEF, and strengthened governance a group of MENA countries, is designed to address capabilities. these challenges through a multi-focal area approach. Looking forward, the The program aims to enhance desert ecosystem World Bank would fur- livelihoods by harnessing their value in an environ- ther strengthen its strategic mentally and socially sustainable manner, and by partnership with MENA optimizing the use of desert goods and services. It countries and GEF by takes a cohesive regional approach in which the using its substantial power goals of individual projects are both embedded to convene and leverage within national strategies and linked to overall for results and impact. regional objectives. It is being carried out in multiple With the newly introduced phases, the first phase extending support to projects process of harmonization in—and knowledge sharing among--Algeria, Jordan, of the World Bank and 25 Global E nv i r o nm e n tal Be n e f it s C on t r ibu tin g to Nation a l D evelopmen t Goa ls • promoting the cultivation and processing of Morocco, and Tunisia. In future, the program expects aromatic and medicinal plants; to expand to additional MENA countries. • promoting women’s cooperatives to support the Algeria: Improved Desert commercialization of local specialty products; and Ecosystems and Climate • exploring the potential for income generation Resilient Oases from using the by-products of waste manage- The Algeria Improved Desert Ecosystems and Climate ment activities. Resilient Oases project (ALG-DELP) will demonstrate how ongoing government agriculture and rural For example, in one oasis community, untreated development programs can benefit from climate wastewater has been discharged directly into the local change mitigation and adaptation, soil and water river. This practice not only threatens the survival of conservation, and income diversification. Further, it the oasis’s date palms, but also discourages ecotour- will show how these last three considerations can be ism development. The government is planning to integrated into national development programming invest in wastewater treatment infrastructure within to sustain desert ecosystems over the long term. this community. The project is considering provid- The project has benefited from World Bank ing complementary training and capacity building reimbursable advisory services (RSA) that targets to local farmers on the safe and sanitary reuse of sustainable desert management. The RSA seeks to wastewater for irrigation, as well as training for the build institutional capacity by strengthening core local population in managing and treating wastewater. competencies and knowledge in key government Wastewater management will improve the environ- ministries at various levels and by designing an mental conditions within the oasis, which in turn educational program to maintain these competen- can help to create local ecotourism opportunities and cies into the future. These goals align with the goals other income-generating options for the community. of Algeria’s strategic priorities for development, its The project will also explore opportunities to secure national environmental action plan, and its strategy private-sector investment to further this agenda. In on regional planning. addition, it will outline prospects for encouraging The RSA has been important in financing vital the use of renewable energy and improving soil capacity-building in the country. It has committed carbon content, through composting and/or biochar, crucial funding and guidance to the design of the throughout the community. project to promote greater integration of its outcomes with those of other national sustainable desert Jordan: Saving the Badia management efforts. Ecosystem and Promoting Building on the RSA, the project will strengthen Livelihoods (2012–2017) the capacity of oasis communities to carry out sustain- The Jordan Badia, a desert region that receives able desert management and develop demonstration annual rainfall of only 50 to 200 mm, comprises investments in income opportunities related to oasis 80 percent of the country’s territory and extends agriculture, traditional water management, and agro- from north to south in the eastern part of Jordan. biodiversity. Sample investments include: The peoples of the Badia include nomadic, semi- • promoting safe and sanitary techniques for reus- nomadic, and settled communities, and largely ing wastewater in irrigation; depend on raising livestock. Nearly half of the Badia is rangeland. Over the past two decades, human • financing renewable energy in rural ecotourism and natural factors alike, including climate change, and community use; have significantly degraded the area’s land and its unique agro-biodiversity. In addition, woodcutting, 26 T h e Way Forwa r d Water Buffaloes at Azrak Wetland Reserve, Jordan Eastern Desert (established/managed by RSCN) © Banu Setlur/World Bank overgrazing, and intensive agricultural practices that this project will investigate is the expansion threaten further destruction of natural habitats and of existing centers of tourism in Badia’s northeast, soil erosion. The number of migratory bird visits home to attractive landscapes, unique biodiversity, to traditional breeding areas has been declining, as and archeological sites. The RSCN, with whom the has the number of breeding events, due to excessive World Bank has cooperated on past protected-area vehicular traffic. Both surface water and underground initiatives, will manage these efforts in partnership water are increasingly threatened by unsustainable with the local communities in the northern poverty water use and extraction, which in turn affect flora pocket area of Ar Ruweished. RSCN will establish and fauna habitats and micro-ecosystems. an ecotourism corridor from the west to the east Under the overall management of the National in the northern Badia connecting the Al Azraq and Center for Agricultural Research and Extension Shaumari nature reserves, to the proposed Burqu’ (NCARE), a semi-autonomous institution under protected area—all of which are managed by RSCN. the Ministry of Agriculture, the project will work The ecotourism corridor will be developed around in three “poverty pockets” in the Badia, with the a concept of low-volume, high-value, community- objective of supporting sustainable livelihoods and centered ecotourism, and provide income opportuni- enhancing ecosystem services through participatory ties to the local communities while contributing to approaches. The project will work in the southern the conservation of biodiversity. Badia poverty pockets of Al Jafr and Al Husseinieh on piloting adapted sustainable community-based Morocco: Investing in Social rangeland management, including improved fodder and Integrated Agriculture production by establishing rangeland reserves and (2013–2017) water harvesting measures. These activities will Agriculture is a vital sector in Morocco, employing be undertaken through upfront high engagement, nearly half the population, and contributing by 15 participation and consultation with the local com- percent to GDP and 23 percent to exports. This munities. Alternative livelihoods activities for target importance will be even more pronounced in the communities based on biomass restoration and site future, thanks to the launching in 2008 of an ambi- monitoring will also be explored. tious agricultural strategy, the Plan Maroc Vert, which Another way to reduce rangeland degradation aims to double the agriculture sector’s value added while enhancing local development benefits is to tap and create 1.5 million jobs by 2020. This strategy into Jordan’s high ecotourism potential. The approach promotes inclusive economic growth, particularly 27 Be Global E nv i r o nm e n tal B it enefi ibu t s C on t r i D evelopmen t Goa ls bu tin g to Nation a l Developmen in areas that traditionally have suffered social and regions. Productions typical of these marginal areas economic marginalization. include cactus, olive trees, argan trees, medicinal However, agriculture is confronted to multiple and aromatic plants, as well as animal production. challenges. Morocco’s rural areas are home to nearly Small farmers will also explore mutually beneficial half its population, and 70 percent of these people relationships between agri-food chains, for example are poor. For small farmers, most of whom live in using by-products of olive oil production, argan oil marginal zones, poverty and environmental degra- production, and discarded cactus fruits to produce dation go hand in hand. Low and erratic rainfall, high-quality (and low-cost) animal feeding, thus limited access to irrigation in marginal areas, and promoting better use of limited natural resources limited capital to invest in agriculture contribute to and enable better waste management. low production. Poor levels of education and lack What it is innovative in the design of this project of organization compound the problem through is its integration into the Plan Maroc Vert, as well agricultural overexploitation and poor land man- as the alignment with the World Bank development agement. And those activities in turn lead to land policy loans in support of this national agricultural and water degradation, loss of biodiversity, further strategy, which allowed to effectively leverage the deteriorating the already scarce natural assets of GEF funds. The project is further complemented by marginal areas. another related project funded by the Special Climate The Social and Integrated Agriculture Project Change Fund, one of the GEF-managed funds, aiming will attempt demonstrating that it is possible to at integrating climate change adaptation practices improve small farmers livelihoods while protecting in the Plan Maroc Vert. These synergies provide the natural ecosystems, thus breaking the cycle of pov- Government of Morocco with an array of options erty on marginal lands. The project will pilot land with which to tackle critical and inter-related prob- and biodiversity conservation measures in parallel lems in a holistic manner, thereby strengthening with investments of the Plan Maroc Vert in the the potential for future economic, environmental, Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz and Souss-Massa-Draa and social sustainability in the agricultural sector. 28 30 Completed and Ongoing GEF projects in the Middle East and North Africa Region Country Proj. Name Focal Area WB Proj. ID GEF Cofinancing Project Status 1 Algeria  El Kala National Park and Wetlands Management  Biodiversity  P004870 10.00 1.56 Completed 2 Algeria  Oil Pollution Management Project for the Southwest Mediterranean Sea  International P004871 6.88 13.12 Completed Waters  3 Djibouti Geothermal Power Generation Program Climate Change  P127144 6.04 25.16 Active 4 Egypt  Red Sea Coastal and Marine Resource Management  International P004981 4.75 0.98 Completed Waters  5 Egypt  Kureimat Integrated Solar Thermal Power  Climate Change  P050567 49.80 277.77 Completed 6 Egypt  Alexandria Coastal Zone Management Project (Under the Investment International P095925 7.15 647.00 Active Fund for the Mediterranean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem) Waters  7 Egypt  Enhanced Water Resources Management Project International P118090 6.68 34.30 Active Waters  8 Iran  Teheran Transport Emissions Reduction  Climate Change  P005174 2.00 2.00 Completed 9 Jordan  Gulf of Aqaba Environmental Action Plan  International P005237 2.70 9.97 Completed Waters  10 Jordan  Conservation of Medicinal and Herbal Plants  Biodiversity  P069847 5.00 9.20 Completed 11 Jordan  Integrated Ecosystem & Natural Resource Mgmt-Jordan Rift Valley Biodiversity  P075534 6.15 6.55 Completed 12 Jordan  Promotion of a Wind Power Market Climate Change  P093201 6.00 135.90 Active 13 Jordan  Energy Efficiency Climate Change  P108064 1.00 43.63 Active 14 Jordan  Badia Ecosystem and Livelihoods Project (BELP) Multifocal Area P127861 3.33 11.35 Active 15 Morocco  Mediterranean Pollution Control International P005347 5.60 0.00 Completed Waters  16 Morocco  Protected Areas Management  Biodiversity  P048314 10.50 0.00 Completed 17 Morocco  Integrated Solar Combined Cycle Power Project Climate Change  P041396 43.20 524.60 Completed 18 Morocco  Energy & Environment Upgrading of Sidi Bernoussi Industrial Park  Climate Change  P074686 0.75 0.75 Completed 19 Morocco  Integrating climate change in the implementation of the Plan Maroc Vert Climate Change P117081 4.35 26.95 Active 20 Morocco  Integrated Coastal Zone Management – Mediterranean Coast International P121271 5.18 20.00 Active Waters  21 Morocco  Morocco Social and Integrated Agriculture Multifocal Area P129774 6.44 35.54 Active 22 Syria Global Overlays Biodiversity  P063368 0.75 0.00 Completed 23 Syria  Conservation of Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management  Biodiversity  P057109 0.75 0.00 Completed 24 Syria  Urban Transport Sector Efficiency  Climate Change  P058564 0.75 1.10 Completed Global E nv i r o nm e n tal Be n e f it s C on t r ibu tin g to Nation a l D evelopmen t Goa ls Country Proj. Name Focal Area WB Proj. ID GEF Cofinancing Project Status 25 Tunisia  Mediterranean Pollution Control International P005588 5.78 0.00 Completed Waters  26 Tunisia  Solar Water Heating  Climate Change  P005589 4.00 16.90 Completed 27 Tunisia  Protected Areas Management  Biodiversity  P048315 5.13 4.54 Completed 28 Tunisia  Gulf of Gabes Marine and Coastal Resources Protection  Biodiversity  P069460 6.31 3.50 Completed 29 Tunisia  African Stock Pile POPs P075776 3.78 1.72 Completed 30 Tunisia  Industrial Energy Efficiency  Climate Change  P078131 8.50 23.30 Completed 31 Tunisia  Demonstrating and Promoting Best Techniques and Practices for POPs P100478 5.50 11.20 Active Managing Healthcare Waste and PCBs 32 Tunisia  Second Natural Resources Management Project International P112568 9.73 53.35 Active Waters 33 Tunisia  Improved Management of Greater Tunis Treated Wastewater Discharge in International P118131 8.03 60.60 Active the Mediterranean Sea Waters  34 Tunisia  Ecotourism and Conservation of Desert Biodiversity Project Multi-Focal Area P120561 4.27 4.78 Active 35 Yemen  Protected Areas Management  Biodiversity  P057346 0.74 0.68 Completed 36 Yemen  Coastal Zone Management along the Gulf of Aden  Biodiversity  P070219 0.73 0.13 Completed 37 Yemen  Rural Electrification Project  Climate Change  P091113 1.00 1.00 Completed 38 Yemen  Adaptation to Climate Change Using Agrobiodiversity Resources in the Climate Change P103922 4.00 31.74 Active T h e Way Forwa r d Rainfed Highlands of Yemen 39 Regional  Strategic Action Plan (SAP) for the Red Sea  International P063717 5.61 25.65 Completed Waters  40 Regional  Sustainable MED Regional Governance and Knowledge generation International P118145 3.00 0.71 Active Waters  41 Regional  Regional Coordination on Natural Resources Management and Capacity International P117170 4.59 82.04 Active Building (with Egypt P130801) Waters  42 Regional  Regional Coordination for Improved Water International P130801 1.05 0.00 Active Waters  43 Regional  DELP Desert Ecosystems and Livelihoods Knowledge Sharing and Multifocal Area P130343 1.00 0.49 Active Coordination Project TOTAL 278.50 2,149.75 31 The World Bank Sustainable Development Middle East and North Africa Region 1818 H. Street N.W. Washington, DC 20433 USA